Archbishop Michael Gonzi’s Gozo episcopate

Abstract

The life of Archbishop Michael Gonzi spanned nearly a century. He passed away in 1984 at the age of 99 after having retired from Malta’s bishopric seat eight years earlier (Leħen is-Sewwa, 22 ta’ Jannar 1984: 1). His episcopate in Malta had lasted thirty years. Furthermore, the archbishop also served as bishop of Gozo for a period of nineteen years between 1924 and 1943, succeeding Bishop Giovanni Maria Camilleri. In 1924, Mgr Michele Gonzi, aged 39, was chosen as Gozo’s fifth bishop. Gozo had been an independent catholic diocese from Malta since 1864 with the Matrice of the Assumption, within the Citadel, as the Cathedral Church (Bezzina, 1988: 11). The earliest reference to a church in Gozo goes back to 1299 (Bezzina, 1989: 9). By the time of the Eucharistic Congress organised in Gozo in 1929, the population of the island was 23,000 inhabitants (Bezzina, 1979: 19).